Miss Massachusetts Intercontinental has returned from her trip around the world in eight days.

Dana Kissoon, an 18-year-old from Wareham, competed in the Miss Intercontinental United States Pageant at the end of July while on an eight-day Caribbean cruise and while she did not win the competition, Kissoon said she learned many lessons during the trip.

The pageant consisted of personal interviews, a swimsuit competition and an evening gown competition.

“The interviews were the hardest part,” Kissoon said. “They asked, ‘In the past 30 days, what in the news made you feel sad?’” Kissoon replied that the government's attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act was what had troubled her from the news.

At each stop of the cruise, she explored while doing photo shoots and marketing for the pageant. Her favorite stop was Turks and Caicos because of the beautiful beaches.

Kissoon was also offered a contract from Miss Intercontinental’s pageant director, which she plans to sign.

“The best part was bonding with all the other girls and getting to know them,” Kissoon said. “We really became close in those eight days. We became a family. It was like a sisterhood that we created.”

She learned to answer interview questions under pressure, perfected her model walk and gained confidence over the course of the trip, Kissoon said. Since it was her first pageant, the other contestants helped her and gave her advice.

Miss California won the competition, followed by first runner-up Miss New York. There were six contestants in total.

“Even though I didn’t win, I still feel like I won because I got to represent Massachusetts,” Kissoon said.

In the future, Kissoon hopes to use her talents to raise awareness for chronic pain because she lived with pain for a long time. She said she plans to use her platform to encourage other people facing similar challenges.

“This means so much,” Kissoon said, gesturing to her Miss Massachusetts Intercontinental sash. “You can really make a difference with this, and if I continue doing [pageants], that’s what I’m going to do.”